R&B/neo-soul multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, and producer Tony Rich was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 19, 1971. He was discovered by production team Tim & Bob, who suggested him to Perri ‘Pebbles’ Reid, the wife of LaFace Records founder L.A. Reid. Hired as a house writer for LaFace, he composed hits for Tony Braxton, TLC, Johnny Gill, Boyz II Men, and others. He soon began to work on his debut album, but chose to release his singles and albums under the moniker The Tony Rich Project. Issued in November, 1995, “Nobody Knows” was the first single from his debut album. The single reached Number 2 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and Number 1 on the Rhythmic chart. His debut album, Words, was released in January, 1996 and entered the Top 40 in the U.S., Australia and the UK. The album also featured the singles “Like A Woman”, and “Leavin’”. Rich was nominated for four Grammy Awards including Best New Artist, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (“Nobody Knows”), Best R&B Album, and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (“Like A Woman”) – he won for Best R&B Album. He made his acting debut in 1997, portraying Duke Ellington in the film Hoodlum. He also recorded “Harlem is Home” for the soundtrack. Rich released his sophomore album, Birdseye, was released in August, 1998. While it was a critical success, the album did not sell as well as his debut. He turned to writing songs for other artists (including Guy) and remixes (including Spice Girls) before he began work on his third album. Released in 2003, Resurrected was his first independent release after leaving LaFace Records. The single “Traveling Alone” was a minor U.S. success but was a hit in Brazil. Pictures, his fourth album, was released in 2006. Two years later, he released the album Exist. Rich then began working on his next album, Speak Me, in 2009 but it was pushed back to 2013 before it was officially cancelled. After a long hiatus, Rich finally returned with the album Encaustic in 2017.
